What We're Into: Fall Favorites
Fall is the one of the BEST seasons to be at camp, and we wish all of you could enjoy its glory with us. The leaves are magnificent, and our entire Head Staff team enjoys a chat around one of our campfires this time of year. Since you’re not here to join us around the campfire, we thought we’d share what we have been especially loving this fall:
Jimboy
Devotion book you are using: A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie
Book you are reading: Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman and The Prize by Daniel Yergin
Meal you are making (or looking forward to making): Vaca Frita with Caesar Salad
Family activity you’re participating in right now: River Trail walks
Something you’re listening to: Audiobook Alaska by John Michener
Game you’ve been playing: Rummikub
Camp project you’ve been working on: Council Fire Renovation!!! New Giant Slide!!! Repairs to Blob Dock!!!
Strangest thing about camp in the off-season: The ducks… Lake Edith is “infested” with ducks! We are on the migration path and have had an unusually large number stop for a breather this year.
Memory you can’t stop thinking about from last summer: The impromptu Taylor Swift performance at the Shepherd’s Gazebo stage one night. Epic!
Katie
Devotion book you are using: Fighting Words by Ellie Holcomb
Meal you are making: Libby’s Bow Tie Lasagna; I’m making it for both Elizabeth & Hanna Kate for after their babies arrive
Family activity you’re participating in this season: A family game of Texas Hold ‘Em played every Thanksgiving with the winner’s name going on a Trophy board displayed in our house.
Game you’ve been playing: Scavenger Hunt, a game on my phone
One thing you can’t wait to enjoy this holiday season: Thanksgiving with our entire family here for a week with our three new grandsons in attendance!
Camp project you’ve been working on: All of the fun new Greystone Store designs for t-shirts for the summer of 2023!
Strangest thing about camp in the off-season: It is very quiet and the days seem slower when our campers are not here.
Thing you’re missing most about camp: The yummy meals!!
Memory you can’t stop thinking about from last summer: All the Dog Camp puppies making their daily walks around camp
Anne Hayden
Meal you are making: I use Hello Fresh so I love all the things they offer; about to make a kale, sausage, sweet potato soup I’m really excited about!
Way you’re growing physically: After dinner walks with my neighbors!
Way you’re growing socially: We started the Tuxedo Social Club at camp (a weekly time for us Tuxedo folks to eat good food and enjoy community)
One thing you can’t wait to enjoy this holiday season: Hot chocolate all the time. And being with family!
Camp project you’ve been working on: Recruiting the best counselors for you next summer!
Strangest thing about camp in the off-season: The lake is sooo low right now. I fell like we could walk across it if we tried.
Thing you’re missing most about camp: Being around the best people…and the Greystone bread!
Memory you can’t stop thinking about from last summer: Battle of the Bands and of course the August Camp lightning strike!!
JF
Book you are reading: All the Light We Cannot See
Meal you are making: Ratatouille
Family activity you’re participating in this season: Pickleball
Way you’re growing physically: Mountain Biking
Way you’re growing socially: Tuxedo Social Club
One thing you can’t wait to enjoy this holiday season: Jimboy’s Christmas morning waffles
Strangest thing about camp in the off-season: The first empty day at camp
Thing you’re missing most about camp: All my men staff friends!
Laura
Devotion book you are using: And He Walks with Me
Book you are reading: I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet by Shauna Niequist; but Harter likes me to read the Bearenstein Bears Inside, Outside, Upside Down
Meal you are making: Mojo Pork (My fave of the new camp recipes this summer)
Family activity you’re participating in this season: Taking grandchildren to the park
Game you’ve been playing: Scrabble
One thing you can’t wait to enjoy this holiday season: Sitting by the fire
Strangest thing about camp in the off-season: How quiet it is
Thing you’re missing most about camp: The delicious food and that the kitchen staff makes it and cleans the dishes!
Alli
Book you are reading: Stanley Tucci’s Taste: My Life Through Food
Meal you are making: Butternut Squash and Farro Chili and Rice Krispy treats in the shape of pumpkins
Family activity you’re participating in right now: Apple picking!
Way you’re growing physically: Working out with my Momleta boot camp group and carrying my son Arlo everywhere since he’s still not really walking.
Way you’re growing socially: Tuxedo Social Club and Momleta Moms’ Night Out
Strangest thing about camp in the off-season: When people forget to turn off lights in buildings, and it makes it creepy at nighttime when a Tentalow light is on.
Memory you can’t stop thinking about from last summer: When it rained so hard at the Junior Camp Banquet that the production was basically a silent film since we couldn’t hear the counselors performing over the rain on the Pavilion roof.
Meredith
Book you are reading: Flying Solo by Linda Holmes
Meal you are making: I’m cooking my way through Half Baked Harvest’s new(ish) cookbook and am specifically excited about her cashew butter chicken!
Family activity you’re participating in this season: Hunting deer on Thanksgiving Day (we eat the whole thing!). Yum backstrap.
Game you’ve been playing: Our family loves playing Quiplash, who doesn’t love a game on your phone?
Way you’re growing physically: Enjoying walking after dinner with my husband and enjoying the fall weather.
Way you’re growing socially: I’ve recently joined a needle-pointing club and working on making a belt for a Christmas present!
One thing you can’t wait to enjoy this holiday season: Bike rides at the beach when visiting my mom (Julie!) in St. Simons.
Camp project you’ve been working on: Hiring our lovely staff for Junior Camp 2023 and brainstorming on how we can make it the best summer ever!
Memory you can’t stop thinking about from last summer: All of the camper’s smiles on Opening Day!
Ellen-Anne
Devotion book you are using: Every Moment Holy has been making a comeback for me.
Book you are reading: Just finished Finlay Donovan is Killing It - so fun!
Meal you are making: Been making lots of Curry! Easy and YUMMY.
Family activity you’re participating in this season: Lots of train building over here and getting our backyard all dialed in after the summer - we have had some great weather!
Game you’ve been playing: Rummikub
Way you’re growing physically: Chasing 3 kids around - keeps us on our toes!
One thing you can’t wait to enjoy this holiday season: I LOVE to get our house Christmas-cozy. Lots of decorating and making paper stars (something my grandmother taught me).
Strangest thing about camp in the off-season: We go from constant human contact to things being VERY quiet!
Memory you can’t stop thinking about from last summer: Best staff EVER! I think about them daily.
Catherine
Devotion book you are using: Really enjoying Tim Keller’s devotional on the Psalms
Book you are reading: slowly re-reading a fave this fall: The Next Right Thing by Emily P Freeman
Meal you are making: Pinch of Yum never fails for us, and we can’t stop making her Crunchy Roll Bowls and Thai Chicken Salad
Family activity you’re participating in this season: Chaperoning our church Youth Group’s trip to a nearby camp… can’t wait to sleep in a bunk bed again!
Way you’re growing physically: We re-joined the Y near us and I’m having fun trying out all the different classes!
Way you’re growing socially: Our church community group plays trivia a couple of times a month - growing in lots of humility because we are NOT good.
Thing you’re missing most about camp: Getting to hang out with all of our incredible staff all the time! And fruit and veggies at the ready on the salad bar - no chopping required.
Memory you can’t stop thinking about from last summer: The big ones (surprise fireworks at the end of Battle of the Bands at Main Camp) and the small ones (catching Tadpoles all day long by the Fort!)
Sarah
Devotion book you are using: Thanks to Ginger Wallace, Be Thou My Vision: A Liturgy for Daily Worship
Book you are reading: Just finished the 17th book in the Chief Inspector Gamache series and eagerly anticipating the release of the 18th in November.
Meal you are making: Loved these sweet potato tacos from the summer, so we’ve been making them at home - great addition!
Family activity you’re participating in this season: We watch a lot of college football and have a lot of s’more nights.
Game you’ve been playing: We play games everyday at our house, and the favorites for my boys are SkipBo, Cat Chaos (thanks to TacoCat Evening Program this summer), and Dutch Blitz.
One thing you can’t wait to enjoy this holiday season: Making soups when it gets colder and enjoying time with family.
Camp project you’ve been working on: Christmas mailing fun!
Thing you’re missing most about camp: Sitting outside for Evening Program while the fireflies come out and the sun goes down.
Memory you can’t stop thinking about from last summer: When we announced the Do Nothing surprise concert in the Dining Hall - deafening!